Jim Says I Love You
by MarillaT'Pel
Summary: Three-shot of times when Jim said 'I love you.'  Rated as a precaution, as usual.
1. Jim Says I Love You Part 1

**This is another Scrubs inspired Star Trek fic. Not a very good title, I know. It was originally meant to be a prequel to another fic that would have been posted first, but it became a three-shot and I had to rearrange some stuff.**

Jim Says I Love You (Part 1)

James T. Kirk had quite a dilemma on his hands. He and Spock had had their first big tiff. Spock had been nagging him in his indirect Vulcan way about his lunch by listing all of its unhealthy qualities, in the mess hall, in plain view of all present. Really, he got enough of that from McCoy. He hadn't reacted well at all. He'd slammed down his fork and strode out of the mess hall. He'd left his meal unfinished and everything. That alone was a big red flag to anyone who knew him well. Fortunately, his shift was done.

He was now pacing back and forth in his quarters, trying to figure out why he'd reacted so badly to Spock's behavior. Spock did that sort of thing all the time, lecturing him on the bridge in front of the crewman, pointing out any little slip in regulation, questioning his lifestyle choices. Jim always just kind of went with it. He hadn't wanted to mess things up after working so hard for the relationship.

He'd been drawn to the Vulcan almost immediately. Of course, that had gone right to the back of his mind after the accusation of cheating, the nightmare that followed it, and the kiss he'd seen between Spock and Uhura. They'd broken up though, only a month into their five year mission. Jim had already been working on a friendship, wanting to get as close to what their counterparts had as he could. He'd waited an additional five months, to make sure Spock had plenty of time to change his mind about Uhura, or in case he might be interested in anyone else, and just to make sure that their friendship would remain strong. Then, for three months after that, he'd slowly let his demeanor toward Spock change.

It had begun with lingering eye contact, an 'accidental' brush of the hands while playing chess, and worked its way up to Jim asking him out on a real date. Several times. Spock had been hesitant at first. Their ranks and all the rumors that had gone around the academy about Jim were some major contributing factors. Jim really couldn't blame him. But nothing could have prepared him for the elation he felt when Spock said yes.

It had been four months since then, and things had progressed quickly, at least by Spock's standards. Only one month in, they'd started having sex. It had been fantastic, and it still was. It wasn't sex that was the problem. Something was just different now. Jim couldn't really put his finger on it, but he knew he needed to figure it out. He decided to head down to Sickbay. Bones wasn't the ideal guy for advice when it came to his relationship with Spock, but he was a good friend, and would at least listen.

* * *

Spock was worried. Not that he'd ever admit it. He was in his quarters trying (and failing) to meditate. His mind kept drifting back to his relationship with Jim. They had been romantically (and sexually) involved for months now, but in some ways, it seemed like Jim's enthusiasm was waning.

His attitude had changed in recent days. His demeanor had become more casual, like it had been when they were simply friends. He was no longer trying to impress Spock with masculine displays or going out of his way to arrange illogical human gestures of romance. And he seemed to become very agitated when Spock attempted to offer him advice about matters at hand. If he knew Jim half as well as he though, he was in Sickbay, 'venting' to Doctor McCoy. He wasn't quite sure how to feel about that.

While McCoy was a loyal friend and exceptional physician, he always made it clear that he wasn't sold on the idea of the relationship Spock had with his best friend. Especially with the bridge incident during the Narada crisis, which he had been a witness to.

Was it possible that Jim had grown tired of their relationship? He could only wait and see what time would tell.

* * *

Leonard McCoy was concerned. He and Jim had been discussing his relationship with Spock for about an hour. Jim was lying on the couch he had in his office for when he pulled an all nighter, holding the bag of food he'd left unfinished in the cafeteria. He'd collected it, knowing that Jim would beat himself up over it for at least a week if it had just gone to the recycler. He looked at Jim, who was just staring at the ceiling in contemplation. He sighed.

"I think you know what you need to do, Jim." Jim sat up and looked at him.

"I can't believe it's really come to this." He said quietly. Then, he stood up and headed out the door. In a way, McCoy agreed with him. He just hoped it didn't come back to hurt them all.

* * *

Spock decided that as long as he couldn't meditate, he was going to do something productive. He headed to the science labs to work on a project, when he heard Jim call out to him.

"Spock!" He stopped and turned to see Jim hurrying toward him. "Can we go somewhere? I think we need to talk." Spock froze a little inside. This was it. It had to be; those words were disturbingly similar to the ones that had led to the end of his relationship with Nyota. Suddenly he felt the urge to be anywhere else.

"Indeed?" He managed, coolly. I was under the impression that you required some distance between us." Jim's eyes widened a bit. As did those of a few crewman walking by. Fortunately, they had enough sense to keep walking.

"Why would you think that?" He asked, trying not to sound like he was hurt. Spock raised his eyebrow.

"Your juvenile behavior in the mess hall suggested it quite strongly." Jim shook his head angrily.

"See, that's the problem. You nag me about what I eat and how I act. You question all my decisions. You correct every little mistake I make involving anything from regulations to my grammar, and you do of these things in front of anyone who happens to be present. You're driving me crazy. I-" He stopped and shook his head. "Forget it, I can't do this now." He turned and began to walk away. Spock had had enough. His voice was cold as he called after Jim.

"If there is something you wish to say to me, I suggest you say it so that I may move on and use my time more productively." Translation: Your silly human crap is a waste of my time, so just get on with it so I can do something worthwhile. Jim froze in mid step.

"Okay then." He muttered to himself. He turned back around to face Spock, and looked him right in the eye. Spock braced himself internally. Jim took a deep breath. "I love you." Only someone used to reading Vulcans would be able to tell from Spock's minute change of expression that he was totally thrown by what Jim said. "You annoy me more than anyone I've ever met in my life," Jim continued, his voice softening, "and I want to spend every single aggravating minute with you." Spock's eyes had gone unbelievably soft and warm. He reached out and took one of Jim's hands in his own.

"**Taluhk nash-veh k'dular****.**" He murmured. Jim felt warm inside. He didn't know much Vulcan, but even if he didn't know the exact translation of the words, he knew the feeling behind them. He gently tugged at Spock's hand, then let go, knowing that it really wasn't appropriate for them to touch like that in front of the crew. Spock got the message and followed, as Jim knew he would. They headed back to their quarters. The lab could wait.

* * *

Leonard McCoy shook his head as he watched the Captain and First Officer in the mess hall. It had been a few days since Jim had come to him for advice on what to do with his relationship. That one still made him chuckle a bit. Jim had never been with someone long enough in the past for it to count as a real relationship.

He'd been confused about why things were settling down with Spock, why he wasn't as interested in impressing him as he was when they first started dating. The sad fact of the matter was that Jim worked hard to impress people to keep them interested so they wouldn't leave him. By letting things settle down between them, Jim was finally accepting that Spock wasn't going to lose interest and leave him. Spock's well-meaning criticism however, had caused him to momentarily doubt that.

As much as Spock irritated him, he was pretty sure that Spock was high up there on the list of best things that ever happened to Jim. He wasn't crazy about the thought of them together, but he had a feeling that they weren't going to be breaking up anytime soon.

It was probably one of the closest things he'd ever seen to a miracle, really. If James 'Tomcat' Kirk could find someone to fall in love and maybe even live happily ever after with, anyone could. As he was thinking this, his head nurse, Christine Chapel walked into the mess. He fought the urge to cringe. She'd been dropping hints that she'd like him to ask her out for a while. Maybe it was just a side effect of the two commanding officers making goo-goo eyes at each other, but today he didn't quite feel the urge to flee the room to avoid her. Instead, when her eyes met his, he waved her over to join him.

As she visibly lit up at his invitation, he wondered if he was getting in too deep. His divorce had taught him plenty about how much commitment could hurt. But then he glanced back over at his friends. If the two other most emotionally repressed men on the ship could get over themselves, he might as well give it a shot too.

**Like I said, this was originally meant to be a prequel chapter to come after another, but I ended up posting this first. The part with McCoy and Chapel was a last minute addition.**

**The sequel chapter will be up in about a week. Maybe sooner if I get some compelling reviews!**


	2. Jim Says I Love You Part 2

**Here's that sequel chapter. I know it's ridiculously short, but it was supposed to just be a little ficlet before it morphed into a three-shot. It was originally supposed to come first, with the other one as the prequel, but I ended up writing a third chapter for that purpose. I promise that one will be longer.**

Jim Says I Love You (Part 2)

James T. Kirk sat on a small pier on the beach. He had just come from the reception of Scotty and Uhura's wedding. They were on Earth, in California. He was in a bit of trouble with Spock. Things had been going pretty good. They'd danced around their mutual attraction for a while, and finally started dating. They'd been together for just over a year now. Jim had been very patient in the time that he spent earning Spock's respect and building trust and friendship between them before attempting romance. It had been Spock's turn to be patient in the months that followed the start of their relationship. He'd been very understanding of Jim's own reservations, knowing that he had some serious issues with commitment.

But then Scotty, the man who would marry the ship (or, at least the engine) if he could, had proposed to Uhura. Bones, who'd had an aversion to marriage ever since being dumped by his wife, was probably going to pop the question to Chapel any day now. Sulu and Chekov were already going strong, something Jim had resolutely pretended not to know anything about until Chekov had turned twenty. It certainly wouldn't have done their crew much good if Sulu's reputation suffered because he was dating a teenager.

Spock knew that Jim's issues had a far different foundation than theirs. Being abandoned several times in his life by those who should have stuck by him had made him reluctant to be so open with another person. However, seeing their friends overcome their own insecurities and making bigger commitments when Jim wouldn't was clearly hurting Spock, and Jim simply couldn't stand it.

Telling Spock that he loved him wasn't the issue. He'd done that many times since that first, almost disastrous fight they'd had that resulted in him confessing it, and sometimes Spock could even get over his Vulcan conditioning and say it back. What he'd never really done was tell him just how much and why. After all, humans fell in and out of love all the time, so on some level, Spock was probably a little bit afraid that Jim would fall out of love with him. Right now Jim wanted nothing more than to put Spock's fears to rest, personal issues or not. So, he was going to put his discomfort aside for the sake of their relationship. He was going to man up and talk to his boyfriend about his feelings.

He turned his head when he heard Spock approaching with a questioning look on his face. He was likely wondering why Jim wanted him to meet him there when everyone else was still at the reception.

"Hey," he said with a grin, patting the space next to him, "have a seat." Spock sat down next to him.

"What was it you wished to discuss, Jim?" He asked. Jim took a few deep breaths. He was already nervous, but the warmth in Spock's eyes and voice was more than enough to steady him.

"I know I haven't been fair to you lately, Spock. I know how much it hurts you when I keep you at a distance." Spock started to open his mouth, no doubt to deny what Jim had just said. "It's true. You shouldn't have to put up with this sort of thing. I'm really not good at going into detail about my feelings, but I'm gonna try now." He paused, and took another deep breath. "I never thought I'd ever meet someone who accepts all of me like you do. I never thought another person could mean as much to me as you do. I never thought I could be truly happy with one person for the rest of my life. Someone who could be my opposite and my equal, and could balance with me so perfectly. I know I don't express it like most people, but I do love you, and I don't want there to be any doubt of that in your mind."

Spock did that special smile with his eyes, one that only Jim could see. But he wasn't finished. "I love you more than being in the Fleet. I love you more than the Enterprise. Spock," his expression became a little strained, "I love you more than Bones." Spock's eyes widened almost comically. "I know," said Jim, "that actually hurt a little." He looked right into Spock's eyes and said, "I know there are all these people who are expecting us to fall apart, and are even planning on how to deal with the fallout from it, but it's just not gonna happen. You're it for me." Spock did not reply, though his eyes were suspiciously shiny. He just took one of Jim's hands in his and leaned forward to press a kiss against his lips, following both human and Vulcan kissing customs. They lingered for only a moment, and then leaned into each other to watch the sun finish setting. Soon it would be too chilly for the Vulcan, but for now, they simply enjoyed the serenity of the moment.

**I considered making Enterprise the thing that shocks Spock, since Kirk was always so hung up on her in the series, but J.D. said he loved Elliot more than his best friend, so I went with that. Maybe I should have done it differently, but I'm sticking with it.**

**The third chapter I mentioned, the prequel, will be posted sometime next week, unless I get some good reasons to do it sooner!**

**By the way, can anyone tell me how to make a line between paragraphs that will actually appear on this site? I'm trying to do that to better separate POV's, but nothing I do seems to show once I've posted.**


	3. Jim Says I Love You To Someone Else

**This is the prequel to the other two chapters. In addition to Scrubs, inspiration for this chapter also came from…The Nanny! And a little iCarly, truth be told. Apparently I see K/S inspiration wherever I look! I don't own those either. This was originally meant to be a preslash oneshot, not at all connected to the other two, but the more I wrote, the more it seemed to go with the other stories. I decided to put this out a little early, since I think this story has had the best response in terms of alerts and favorites out of everything I've written!**

**Also, lots of thanks to beckett77 for telling me how to do lines. I still don't know much about all this, so thank you very much!**

Jim Says I Love You (To Someone Else)

* * *

Jim Kirk was pissed. Or, at least he would be if he wasn't in so much pain. The feeling of something lancing through his side was robbing him of his ability to complain. It had been an unusually good away mission. The locals were very friendly and accommodating. They had not felt threatened or insulted by something anyone did.

Then, they'd all gotten a big scare when Jim suddenly doubled over from a stabbing pain in his side. For once, it was the people they were visiting who thought they'd done something wrong, and were trying everything they could to ensure that the negotiations did not turn sour. Jim had been forced to leave it to Uhura to assure them that he was simply ill with a common human malady while Spock escorted him back up to the ship.

Appendicitis. They'd finally had everything going smooth as silk for once, and this had to happen. As Jim lay there waiting to be put under, Bones bustled about, grumbling as usual.

"Dammit Jim! Even when the natives aren't shooting at you or beating you up, you still find some way to get yourself into trouble!"

"Right." Hissed Jim, glaring at him. "I deliberately caused my appendix to pop in the middle of the best first contact we've had so far." Spock, who'd insisted on staying to make sure his captain was alright, spoke up.

"I would hardly believe it was the doctor's intention to insinuate that you deliberately made yourself ill, Captain. He would certainly know that such a thing would be both illogical and impossible." He said, giving Bones a disapproving look. If Jim hadn't been in so much pain, he might have been amused, or even flattered by the fact that Spock was sticking up for him so directly, instead of just commenting on how illogical that statement was.

He'd been working for months to get close enough to Spock to ask him out on a proper date, but Spock had turned him down. Repeatedly. He'd cited all the typical reasons for two such high-ranking officers to not date each other, but Jim knew that was all just a cover up. He knew Spock was reluctant to get involved with someone of his reputation. While a good chunk of it could just be attributed to the academy rumor mill, it wasn't entirely unfounded. Jim certainly hadn't done anything to dissuade people's negative opinions of him. Still, he'd hoped for a fresh start with Spock.

As he was thinking about this, Nurse Chapel came in with his special anesthetic. He was allergic to most other stuff. She kept sending what she probably thought were discreet glances at Bones, who was probably just pretending not to notice them. Jim was a little worried he might need to talk to her about that. He knew for a fact that Bones hadn't so much as looked at another woman out of anything other than professional interest since his wife left him. He really didn't want two of his medical officers compromised by some unrequited thing. Of course, the told himself, he was one to talk.

Chapel attached the bag of liquid to his IV, and he braced himself. He absolutely detested this stuff. It didn't have any lasting ill effects other than a little dizziness, but it made him more loose-lipped and loopy than any liquor even Scotty could offer. He knew he could trust Bones and Chapel to be loyal and professional enough to not to spread anything he said around the ship, but Bones often took sadistic pleasure in recounting all the silly things that Jim couldn't remember saying while he was drugged.

As the recipe for humiliation began seeping into his veins, he realized that Spock was still present. Before he could begin to care about that though, he drifted into a very pleasant, fuzzy land, where there were no worries and no consequences.

* * *

Spock watched as a dazed looking smile replaced the pained expression on Jim's face. He felt a small twinge of relief. He rather disliked seeing his captain and friend in pain. He could not fault Jim for what happened on the planet. While it was most unfortunate that his health had taken this unexpected turn, it could have just as easily happened on a planet where the locals might take it the wrong way. He was admittedly grateful for that much.

Jim had become a good friend to him in the months since their mission began. But lately, he had begun to press for more. He had asked Spock out on a date. Actually, he had asked several times. They had started out as almost casual remarks before they turned into serious requests. In spite of his persistence though, Spock had been continuously turning him down. He wondered how long it would go on before Jim would give up or get angry. A good deal of his reluctance came from Jim's reputation.

He knew perfectly well that much of it was exaggerated, but it was still a fact that Jim had never been in a long term relationship before. He was more than a little concerned that trying something so new with him could damage their friendship, as well as their efficiency as officers. He had been most fortunate that he and Nyota had ended their relationship amicably. He didn't know if he would have been able to be as gentle or tactful as she had when she suggested that their relationship was not working out. She had successfully moved on to do the impossible; luring Montgomery Scott out of his precious engine room and into a relationship with her.

As he contemplated this Jim suddenly smiled up at him, big and unrestrained. His mouth moved, as if to form words, but none came out at first. Then, however, they did.

"Spock, what are you doin' in my room?" He asked, a little slurred. "I gotta go see Doctor Bones." Spock had to push down the urge to smile at his friend's silly behavior.

"You are already in Sickbay, Captain." He reminded him. "You will be having your appendix removed shortly." Jim's eyes widened comically.

"I am?" Spock nodded. "Oh man, what happened to it?" Before Spock could offer an explanation, Jim's eyes narrowed. "Didn't I tell you to call me Jim?" Spock nodded.

"Yes, Jim, you did." Jim smiled, satisfied.

"Good, now help me up so I can go to Sickbay." Spock couldn't stop his lips from twitching a little.

"Jim," he reminded him, "you are already in Sickbay. You are about to have surgery." Jim's eyes widened again.

"Really?" He began looking around. "Did I get hurt again? Don't tell Bones, he'll get mad at me." He looked at Spock again, looking a little anxious. "I still need to do that thing I do before I go on missions." Spock cocked his head to the side.

"What thing is that, Jim?" Jim waved one hand impatiently.

"You know, I gotta write down who gets all my stuff in case I dust the bite, or whatever Bones keeps saying." Spock's jaw clenched involuntarily. Jim was talking about updating his will. The thought of Jim making preparations for the possibility of his own death, however logical, was something Spock did not enjoy thinking about. Oblivious to Spock's discomfort, Jim continued on with his ramblings.

"I want Sulu to get all my old guns, and Uhura can have my music collection. Bones can do what he wants with the rest of my stuff. And I want Spock to have…me!" Spock felt his face heat up a bit as Nurse Chapel chuckled a bit from the other side of the room. She likely knew from Jim's time spent talking to his best friend about it that he was attempting to convince Spock to engage in a romantic relationship with him. Jim's face fell then. "I don't really think he wants me, though." Spock frowned when he said that. However, he let his face become devoid of expression once more as McCoy chose that moment to re-enter the room, ready to take Jim to surgery.

"We're almost ready for him. We're gonna take him back before he tries to take his appendix out himself." Jim grinned up at his best friend.

"Doctor Bones, I'm ready to go to Sickbay!" McCoy actually shot an amused glance at Spock over his friend's antics.

"Sure thing Jim." He told the captain, moving around to push the biobed. "I'm taking you there right now." Jim continued to smile at him.

"You're the best friend I ever had Bones." He gushed. "I love you." McCoy's expression softened, and he never noticed the way Spock stiffened behind him. McCoy disappeared into the OR with Jim.

* * *

Less than an hour later, McCoy had brought Jim out to his recovery room. He was happily unconscious and unaware of what was going on around him. Spock was now sitting there, reflecting on what he'd heard Jim say. He knew that Jim and McCoy were very close friends, and that they had never engaged in any kind of romantic or sexual relationship. The love Jim had expressed for him was purely platonic, and the admission was something that usually went unsaid. Yet they had forced a realization in Spock.

Jim was a very attractive young human male. There were many people, human or otherwise, on and off the ship who expressed an interest in spending time with him, whether for a casual encounter or the possibility of a serious relationship. He had hoped that Jim would eventually see that a relationship between them would be illogical, and be content with their friendship, but now, faced with the possibility of him moving on to another, Spock was reconsidering. Jealousy was an emotion he was unfamiliar with, and he did not particularly enjoy it.

Now, he had a serious choice to make. It wasn't fair for him to keep Jim waiting in the hopes that he'd just get tired and move on. On the other hand, it wouldn't be fair for him to get upset if Jim did choose to accept someone else's affections. If what he'd said to Spock was anything to go by, there was at least some part of him that felt that Spock did not find him appealing, and while that was untrue, it might lead to him seeking companionship elsewhere. When he and Nyota chose to end their relationship, they'd been alright with just being friends again. Perhaps, he and Jim could test the waters and, if it didn't look promising, go back to what they had before it was too late. Spock made his decision. The next time Jim asked him out, he would say yes.

* * *

Leonard looked in on where Spock sat by Jim's bedside. He shook his head. He personally didn't know what Jim saw in that guy, but something about them just seemed to click. He smiled a little, wondering if he should tell Jim later that he'd probably just won Spock over with his little drugged out speech. He might, if he was in the mood to risk helping to swell Jim's ego even further. He would definitely be sure to mention that he'd said 'I love you' to him right in front of Spock. For now though, he just waited to clear his friend, knowing that when he and Spock left together, it was probably going to be the start of something new.

The End

**I made this a little longer to make up for the last chapter. As I mentioned before, this was originally intended to have no connection to the other chapters. It was supposed to be a oneshot where a drugged up Jim (who's normally insecure with expressing his emotions) gets loosened up enough to tell McCoy that he loves him, (platonically, of course) which makes Spock jealous and forces him to confront his crush on his captain after learning the truth. The more I worked on these stories, the more I found myself connecting this to the other one, and it all came together like this. Also, I realize that this surgury probably takes more than an hour, but it's in the future!**

**That's it for this little series. I hope you've enjoyed it! Please review!**


End file.
